Tutu

A young girl's life goes downhill after the passing of a friend.

Ester (D'Elia) is a schoolgirl who also practices ballet. Her close friend Maria, who was also a ballerina and went to the same dance academy as Ester, has just passed away and her mother has decided to donate her late daughter's tutu to the dance school that she attended, in order to honour her memory. Ester develops an obsession with the costume, steals it for herself and begins a dangerous diet that threatens to end her life.

This short drama from Italy tells a self-destructive story through the eyes of a troubled girl. With a plot that in some ways resembles Black Swan, it deals with themes that involve obsession, mental health, anorexia, grief and isolation. Ester misses Maria and she seems to want to follow in her footsteps, by wearing her ballet dress and keeping her weight down in order to fit in it. Her chosen path ends up impacting her health quite negatively and alienating her from those who care for her.

D'Elia's acting is one of the best aspects of the film as she delivers an impressively strong performance as a young girl who is dealing with serious inner issues and has become lost in her own world.

Another great part is a beautiful dance montage that is superbly edited by Gianluca Scarpa and contains wonderful classical music. Regarding the mise-en-scene, praise goes to the dance costumes and to the interior of the dance school.

Composer Remo Anzovino makes a significant contribution with the dramatic score that includes lovely piano melodies and director of photography Dario Di Mella does a terrific job with the cinematography.

This is a moving story about a young individual who becomes lost, who loses herself in her emotions. It contains a great deal of drama and will most likely provide a memorable experience to the viewer due to the plot and D'Elia's performance.